The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-12-21
NEW PUBLICATIONS.

For those who are specially interested in
the character Of Henry ID. Thoreau Mr.. II.
G.. o. Blake has edited book entitled Winter,
which is made up entirely Of selections from
Thoreau's diary. The selections range from
December to February days, and cover
period Of several years. The arrangement Is
according to the days Of the month, proceed
ing from Dec. q to Feb. 23d. For a single
day Of the month there are generally several
entries. For instance for Dec. 2s there are
the entries made on that day In 1910, 1852,
1858, 1854, when he was Nantucket, 1896
when he was back at Walden, and 1858. IL
is in the entry for 1856 that Thoreau says:
81 thrive best on solitude. III have had
companion only one day in week, unless It
were one or two could name, find that the
value of the week 10 me has been seriously
affected. 1t dissipates my days, and often Il
takes me another week to get over it," This
may be taken as a sample text that will re-
veal to those who have not read Thoreau, the
man as he appears to the readers Of these se-
lections. One sees in them that aspect Of
winter that appears to solitary man. Of
original intellect. with keen observation
for natural phenomena, and an intense love
for the quiet woods, fields and waters. In
these selections much Of great interest Is re-
vealed, both about nature in winter, and
about the personality Of most remarkable
and interesting son of nature. Boston;
Houghton, Mifhin & Co.; Portland: Loring,
Short Il Harmony
Pre-Glacial Man and the Aryan Race. BY
Lorenzo Burge. According to this author.
the book Of Genesis Is written in allegory
and cipher. These ciphers are words whose
significations describe the character or events
OF a certain period Of time in the life Of the
race, forming skeleton pictures Of the period
presented. To fill out these pictures, giving
light and shade, that they may be seen and
understood, Mr.. Burge has called In geology
astronomy, history, and human nature to aid
the allegory. This contention Is, that only
within the last twenty-five years, has 1t been
possible for any one to decipher and under
stand the allegorical character Of this history.
Geological discoveries. the investigations OF
the glacial period by Agassiz and others, M.
Adhemars calulations Of the time Of the pro-
cessiOn Of the equinoxes, Layard's unearth-
ing of the buried remains Of Asiatic civiliza-
tlon, the labOrs of Professors Smith, Sayce
and others in makinglknown the literary
riches there discovered, the researches Of
historians, the records Of travellers, the gem
eral advance in knowledge and the religious
enlightenment of the present time. have all
been required to enable man to pierce the
casket and reveal secrets so long hidden.
Boston; Lee S Shepard; Portland: Loring,
Short Il Harmony
Toto's Merry Winter. By Laura f. Rich
ards. The fortunate little ones who read
The Joyous story CT Toto, last year, win be
glad enough to hear something more about
the small boy and his four-footed compan-
ions, told as only Mrs. Richards can tell II.
The new book has plenty Of pictures too'
and Toto and his little blind grandmother
are passing merry winter in company with
our old friends the Coon, Bruin, Cracker
Chucky. the pig, and all the rest. Mrs.
Richards understands children and they find
her stories very bewitching. They are
sweet. wholesome and full Of quiet humor
sueh as youngsters delight in, and il anybody
thinks this class Of literature does not re-
quire genius in the writer let him try 1t and
see. Boston; Roberts Brothers; Portland
Loring, Short Il Harmony